It’s funny how so many people make New Year’s Resolutions and goals and they are shot within the first week.  I am no stranger to it either.

I typically work my regular job three days a week and I have been notorious for getting snacks from our break room and those prices are HIGH. I wanted to cut back the amount of food I was buying at work and eating out.  I also want to cut down the amount of food waste that we have in our house, I used to be really good at it, but not every household member shares my desire for less.  So, I had the bright idea that I would prep my meals at the start of the week and they would last me through my working days.

So far, so good on the making and bringing lunches, but I was still buying sodas and snacks in the breakroom.   I spent about $20 over the course of the three days this week.  It’s usually much hire, so I am taking that win!  I also grabbed some McDonald’s before work one day but I had used a bunch of points to buy myself a Happy Meal, so I got it for free. Again, another win, but I only had it because I had bought so much before to earn the free meal.

Cooking at home and bringing the left overs for lunch for both my Roommate and I was the goal.  It would significantly reduce the amount of food left hanging around in the fridge and neither one of us would be tempted to spend extra eating out.  He is notorious for eating out every day at work.  Since he works a day shift, it’s easier for him and realistically he doesn’t want to be bothered bringing something to work.  Since I typically work nights, bringing something to eat is usually easier for me, since there aren’t many options open at midnight when I get lunch.

My Roommate and I talked about different ways we could combat the food waste we were currently having.  Something he recommended was making a large casserole at the beginning of the week and then using it for lunches and food for when someone is hungry throughout the week.  I thought it was a good idea in theory and we started to work on it last month.  We didn’t have a great adherence rate to it and still ended up tossing about half of it since no one was eating it. I think we are going to keep trying it since it was helpful to not have to cook every meal.

My Amazon and Temu purchases were about the biggest spending I had for the week.  I saw a bunch of handy craft tools on Temu that I was able to score pretty cheaply.  My hobbies include lots of creative outlets and it can be expensive to buy retail. I bought a scale so I can also track my weight loss or gain and once this last order from Temu arrives, I plan to delete the app.  It is too tempting to just quickly buy something cheap. I spent $56 there, that were wants and not needs, but they are a part of something that does bring me joy. 

I had some outings that I had planned with friends and an unplanned visit from my mom. I spent a bit more than I had planned for my outing, but its atypical of me.  I have budgeted to have the same outing once per month with a budget of $20 per visit.

I am hoping next week is better for eating at home and keeping costs lower.

See ya around

-Chick